


For You

by Heroism



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Drama, Elsanna - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 06:31:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2955830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heroism/pseuds/Heroism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her freshman year comes to a close as Anna goes to a post-prom party at Ariel's. However, the ensuing revelation forces her to face a grudge, and, together, with her sister and sole surviving family member Elsa, they press on into their uncertain future. Elsanna/Modern AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

 

There were seventeen holes occupying the tile of the ceiling she stared up at. She had no idea where she was, or how long she had been there. In truth she had probably been staring for longer than was made known to her.

 

_My arms. Limp._

 

Try as she might, her limbs were made of lead. She felt immovable.

 

_My head._

 

In her mind, she gasped.

 

_I can't turn it._

 

Her eyes roamed about frantically, but she couldn't see anything else other than a dull light cast on the room. 

 

_Am I dreaming?_

 

This wasn't an alien experience to her. Sometimes she awoke in the night amidst a bad dream, staring madly about the nightmarish world sans bodily movement. But this was different.

 

As her eyes adjusted, she could see very slight shiftings of a form against the light.

 

_I'm not alone. I'm definitely not alone._

 

She finally felt something resembling a sensation—a pillow on the back of her head. 

 

_Oh, so I'm in bed._

 

_But I can't move._

_And this isn't my room._

 

She was frantic. She knew she was. But she also knew that whatever was in the room with her, it couldn't be that bad. She once again tried to move herself, her limbs proving to be recalcitrant.

 

It then occurred to her that she couldn't hear at all. Literally. She had occasional hearing blasts, mostly from loud concerts; nothing like this, however.

 

_Does this make me deaf and dumb, then?_

 

She was prone to humor herself even in harrowing situations. Something vaguely resembling a giggle resonated in her mind's ear.

 

_How tall am I?_

 

She couldn't help but notice the shadows shifting, believing their source couldn't be too far away.

 

_5 foot._

She felt her eyes widen at the realization. From what little she knew about geometry and science, she understood that shadows and their shapes could be obscured by a light source. She would sometimes delight herself at night with shadow puppets, sometimes with friends, but usually just to herself, always making note of the funny shapes you could make. These shapes, however—

 

_Too close._

 

Now she knew. Tracing the walls, noticing the glaring light from a lamp behind and to the left of her head, the shadows were being cast ever-so-slightly up and outward. Having thought about it briefly, it seemed like the lamp was lower than the shifting figure. But who would have a lamp close to the ground? Wasn't it normal to clamp it on the bed frame or something? But then she figured lightly, crunching imaginary numbers in her head, and found the truth.

 

_It's on the bed with me,_ righting herself, _no.. they!_

 

Two shadows. Two shifting forms probably at the foot of the bed. Their shadows appeared to dance on the wall whilst shecowered in terror. Still unable to will her limbs to do her bidding, her eyes danced beneath their lids. _Come on, Anna. This is just a dream, you know it. Just open your eyes and it'll be all gone (Seriously, there's no way it could be that bad). Fuck!_

The trick didn't work. _Let's just try it again. Okay, now! Shit!_ It wasn't going to work. _Ugh, now I feel like I'm gonna be sick._ She tried to move her head but it felt heavier than her book bag on final exam day.

 

_Well, this is happening._

 

She just wished that she could wake up in her room, put on some slippers and watch some TV with a warm cup of coffee to start the morning, and then she'd call Kristoff and tell him about how Merida had just broken up with some weirdo last week _(Maybe I could go hang out with Meg!)_.Or she'd try and see how Punzelton was doing with her own freshman year amidst the craziness _(She always hated that nickname, but she looks so cute annoyed!)_.

_What the hell's going on!? I can't move, it feels like I'm about to get eaten by monsters, and I don't even know where I am!_ She then realized something that she hadn't thought about. _What day is it even?_ It was like staring through soup, and not her favorite chicken noodle kind, either. _Is this the world's worst hangover?_

 

She could see herself in the running now: a bunch of peeps getting stone-ass drunk and then passing out. The judging would consist of how incoherent everyone was when they got up, and they might even poke them to see if they could feel it. _What could they even say for me? What's that term? Dead as a dick—duck—dock? What the hell am I even talking about…_

Her self-admonition got through somehow. For the first time in the past few minutes, she felt that familiar sensation of her stomach heaving involuntarily and chuckles easing out. Just barely. She still couldn't hear anything _(I mean anything!)_ —and then her half-open eyes fell to the forms, actually noticing them.

 

_Are these even my eyes?_ She felt like she was legally blind, for crying out loud. It had been at least 10 minutes, if even that, but it seemed like fair enough a time for the ole vision to kick in.

 

Okay, so maybe she hadn't really noticed them. They appeared as malformed blobs to her. _20/20 my ass. If this doesn't clear up within moments, I'm seeing the eye doctor._

 

So she tried as hard as she could, straining her eyes to see what they looked like, maybe even who they were. But the more she tried, she became faintly aware of a strange wetness in her eyes. The thought made no sense at all, thinking that she was crying as if the scene was so beautiful or something.

 

_Oh, that’s right. At least I can feel them now._

Stomach, chest, eyes, and the back of her head—four parts of a whole body she could feel. _Anna Sean Stephens, you've really got some work to do._ She wanted to bring her hand up and stifle her nonexistent laugh. _Yep. Can't do that._

 

"You.. notice.. drunk?"

 

Her ears almost tried to do a double take. _Holy Hell I actually heard something! Something about drinks?_ She tried to tune everything out and just try to listen to whatever was going on.

 

"Spike.. worked.. night."

 

_Okay, yeah, that's a TV station. They work when I want some action from time to time at night—wait, that came out wrong!_

 

She didn't feel it right now, so the silliness would need to just hold the phone while she got to work on hearing whatever these weird voices were saying.

 

"Never.. coming."

 

_Um… What. The. Fuck?_

"All.. ourselves."

 

Not that she could see it, but her face was as red as a Valentine's rose, the coloration having spread rather quickly at the word. Now that she thought about it, and being able to see somewhat more clearly, she noticed that they were both positioned beneath her, and one of them _(At least, I think that's one of them…)_ seemed to be sandwiched between a layering of cream.

 

_Oh, so I can almost feel my head now,_ she thought as she could obtain a few different vantage points by moving it. _That's just perfect._

 

Thoughts about yesterday slowly bubbled up to the surface. _Was I wearing khakis or something?_ Remembering, rather, knowing that she was prone on a bed seemed to suggest that she was out wearing something casual to what was likely a casual event. _I always wear jeans to work…_ It was part of her uniform at the bowling alley to which she was employed, though she had always disliked the feeling of super snug clothing, so she decided to be the odd one out most of the time and go khaki when off the clock.

 

Kristoff had mentioned a party a few days back. _Said something about getting an invite from Hans. Ugh._ Suddenly the memories came together like a chain. _Okay so it was at Ariel's cuz it was post-prom and she was only a senior in high school and wanted to celebrate. Oh yeah and it was casual._ Not like that bit mattered. She had only ever borrowed and/or rented a dress. _My prom sucked, anyway._

 

A picture came together in her mind of a black and grey checkered scarf, a green tank top with Link from Zelda on it and some khaki pants, bottomed out by her favorite suede Pumas. In other words, the essence of tacky _(Don't judge!)_.

 

It had been a rather boring night, honestly. All the assholes from the football team were there, only some of which she remembered because she had graduated that past year. The food was pretty good: nachos, chips, chocolate-covered pretzels, some other crap and then a big-ass punch bowl. _Passion Fruit flavor, wasn't it?_ The night was coming back.

 

_Thats right! They were all there last night!_

While it wasn't her whole circle of friends, Rapunzel, Kristoff and Merida were certainly there. Aurora just kinda sat in the corner looking like she was about to doze off, Snow White was practically being harassed by some kids who probably shouldn't have been invited, and Belle had to shoo away at least 10 creepers. _Most of them were jocks. Yeesh._

_Where was Meg?_

 

She could see the spot where they were all sat around outside. There was a grill off to the side and they were all holding cards. Then she noticed the number of seats and counted in her head— _There she was._ Right there in the fifth seat was Megara. She had mentioned something earlier that day about needing some time away from Hercules, who was apparently prepping for a bodybuilding competition. _That's gotta be weird to be around: muscly weirdness and lots of posing in a mirror? Yeah, count me out on that one, sister._

It looked like a game of Uno _(Did I mention that I have the world's worst poker face? That's because I don't even have one!)._ Kristoff was easily going to win for the fourth time in a row, but they still sat around and had fun. All of the punch glasses at the table were nearly empty, except for Rapunzel's since she was dieting for Eugene. Now that she recalled, Rapunzel hadn't taken a sip at all. _Who the heck is Eugene, anyway?_ The name had passed its way around the table a few times, earning a few "Oos" and "Whoop-whoops" from she and her friends. They were glad to see Punzelton finally getting in on the smooth side of things.

 

As Merida made a comment about pickle sandwiches, Anna took a glance from her spot in the manifested memory to the side, seeing a solitary figure on his phone not really paying anyone any mind. _For the big boy who gave everyone invitations, he doesn't look too hot._ She, admittedly, had little reason to talk with him. Her junior year of high school had been like one big production: _Anna Knows Nothing About Love._ She had gone all the way with the guy after 4 dates, claiming he was just "So _dreamy._ " And they held out for a while, until Valentine's day he forgot to get her a present and she dumped him on the spot. _I'd had enough of his shit. Sweet guy, high status.. even a lot of friends, but not an honest reason to love him._ She was glad he didn't take it too hard. It was still the only thing she could think about as she looked over at him.

 

She stood up from the table, to which Meg asked, "What's up, Sug?" Anna craned her head in that general direction while maintaining eye contact, hoping she'd understand. Meg looked for only a split-second and then turned back, nodding to her in acknowledgment. Anna was already standing, and then pushed her chair back to give herself some room.

 

"Anna?" The blonde boy looked up to which Meg simply placed a hand on his shoulder. The others at the table similarly felt a need to say something, but as they all turned to Meg, they were certain they'd hear whatever tale there was to tell.

 

The patio was not inviting by any means. As she harrumphed indifferently and plopped herself down next to the tall young man, she noticed several ash trays decorating it. _There wasn't even a chair? Wow, what a party..._

 

"So.. what's up in your world these days?" It felt strange, seeing the memory replay before her eyes—the eyes of her remembered self—and hearing herself talk sent her abuzz with that telltale curiosity. _Do I really sound that whiny?_ She awaited to see what Hans would say. _Hell, I don't even know how much I can trust this memory, but I haven't seen myself drink yet.. yet…_ Latching onto that thought, she resumed her watching of the replaying scenes.

 

"Nothing much," he said, running that bulky finger down his phone screen as if he were reading something. _Faker._

 

"Um—"

 

"How's your mom doing?" _Oh yeah. Soo romantic to bring that up._ She rolled her imaginary eyes, like teal-stained marbles floating around in another world. Usually, well really if anyone else had asked _(Other than my actual friends…),_ it wouldn't have meant much to her at all. She'd often reply with a simple "Good," and go on about something else, but her conscience was too strong. _There you go being the good girl again, Anna. Even when you don't have to. What does he deserve from you, anyway?_

While she now knew the answer as nothing, herself of only 12 hours ago, give or take—

 

"Her treatment is almost over."

 

—did not know what she was doing. _Why aren't you facepalming, dammit!?_

The last thing she expected was a contented sigh. _Huh?_

 

"That's good to hear," he replied, slipping his phone into the large compound pocket of his hoodie and turning to face her. He didn't smile, but his mood was perhaps the slightest bit upturned at her surprise visit.

 

"So, what about you?" _You hardly even answered his question, idiot._ "How'd you hear about the party?" She was dumbfounded at how horrible she really was at smalltalk, but was just as confused as to why she was talking to him at all. _I don't smoke, so I wasn't high. Unless Seth pulled another weed brownie stunt._

"Ariel's parents told the football team first. Well it was actually her mom, since she coaches the cheer squad; but she said we were responsible for getting the word out, so I did." He smoothed out a stray lock of hair that hung down in front of his eyes. _No wonder he gets called Shaggy by the team. His hair's almost as long as mine!_ "What? You didn't think I _wanted_ to be here, did you?"

 

His emphasis didn't go unnoticed. _Wait, what? He had to go?_

 

"Well, I figured that—"

 

"They're not my real friends, you know." Frankly, she didn't have a clue, but his statement was a stepping stone to the beginning of an idea. He looked down between his knees, hair falling and obscuring him entirely. "The team knows nothing about me."

 

_It didn't seem that way when you kept pushing me away, you know, when we were dating back then._ But she didn't let it get to her. _It's only a memory._

"What's it like around them? I've always wondered about the practices. Is it all like hustle and muscle, pushing it to the max on all the lifts and tackling the crap outta each other? Heck I'm glad they give y'all water or else you'd probly die out there in the heat, which is I guess the only reason I don't like the fall around here—it's still hot, you know, and sometimes you feel like you're gonna die." He still held his face down over himself, slumping even further over when she finished. "S-sorry," she felt pretty bad about it, "I was rambling."

 

He sighed and then pushed himself back up, sitting back like before. "Yeah you were." He didn't sound annoyed or anything, just a little restless. In the afternoon light, she could make out a purple tint to the space under his eyes. _Did he stay up all night inviting people? Knowing Ariel's mom, she could've made it a required project or something. Who knows._

 

"Sorry," she said quietly. Her eyes looked down to the grass and spotted something she hadn't seen in years. _A cow ant!!_ Word has it that those black and red bastards can kill a cow with their sting, but she had been lucky enough to not to experience it first-hand. Never thinking she'd see one again, she picked up a small stick laying at her side and went to go pester the insect.

 

His eyes followed her, curious. Not knowing just what she was up to, he replied simply. "Don't be." He looked on as she turned to face him, blank gaze expressing her own feeling of confusion. Not noticing the stick still in her hand, knees on the grass, a rather distinct sensation—

 

" _Oh Shit!!_ "

 

—caught her attention. The cow ant had crawled from the stick up to her hand, and the instant she noticed it was flung into the far reaches of the backyard. _Glad I didn't get stung. Although if I did that would explain why I got knocked out, or whatever the hell is going on._

"What _was_ that?" He put his two hands in front of him, measuring out what he believed as an accurate size of the bug. Anna scoffed at his estimate. "It was just a cow ant. They've got a really painful sting, and yes they are pretty big as bugs go." She stood up and brushed herself off. "I was gonna show you this thing where you pin them under a stick and they make this weird squeaking noise that's just so funny." Hans looked bewildered at her cheery tone on the subject. _He must think I'm a freak now…_

"Hey come on, I haven't done it since I was," she put her left hand to her side, palm and fingers facing down and outwards, "this tall." Hans looked at her incredulously, then snorted a laugh as his head moved back slightly. Anna was tired of standing, so she reclaimed her spot next to him.

 

"You sure you're not high?" Anna did a triple-take. _What!?_ The fact that he had gone several steps ahead and acted as if he had asked earlier, and maybe even another time _(He did ask a long time ago, but…)_ felt like a sucker punch. _I'm not your buddy, Hans._

"That's not funny," she said curtly. _See, even I agree!_ "But I guess _some_ people who never had fun when they were little might think that way." _Seriously, what is it with kids and joking around about drugs and stuff? Is it really that funny?_

"Maybe." He said it with the same indifference as all his other statements. Feeling the awkwardness, of which she was known to be very keen, she just had to break it.

 

"So, you never really answered me earlier." He stared up at her, hoping that her eyes might give him a clue. _Those cold, calculating eyes. Athlete or not, he's such a dweeb._ "Answered what?"

 

"You know.. I asked what was up with you and you just said something about invitations." Hans just ran his hands down his legs, taking in a breath. "But you _did_ ask about them." He didn't look at her this time. Now he was pouting like before, except he kept the hair out of his face. "Jeez your memory is terrible."

 

" _Excuse me?_ " _Yeah, go on, tell him off!_ "I didn't have to come over here and talk to you—"

 

"And I didn't ask you to."

 

She huffed and puffed a little. "That's not the point. But anyway, there's no way you can say you'd rather sit here all alone."

 

"Actually, yeah I would. Isn't that what it means when you see someone sitting away from others on their phone?" Having taken the time to shift over, moving his right arm out of the way, he leered over at her questioningly. Bringing his hand to his chin in a mock-thinking position, "Oh that's right, how would _you_ know?" She gasped at him, leaving her mouth agape.

 

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!?"

 

"You're always _fucking talking_ , that's what!!"

 

She couldn't deal. _I don't even…_

 

"Let's go inside, Anna." Kristoff didn't look the least bit pleased at the commotion, sending his best glare down at Hans.

 

"Yeah, just leave both of y—"

 

" _Enough Hans,_ " he said forcefully. Anna stood up, brushing against the blonde boy's shoulder. She wasn't going to say another word to him. Noticing a few shuffling feet behind her, she saw the rest of her friends gathered together. The near-setting sun still shined on them while they were covered by the shadow of the house. _So they were concerned about me, huh? Not like I would've needed it.. but thanks…_ _I love you guys…_

 

As they walked into the party house, Hans muttered under his breath, looking over at their abandoned Uno game. "Piss off."

 

Shuffling in from the outside, they all made it in and closed the sliding glass door to a mere crack. Kristoff took Anna to the side, just outside the kitchen and it's pizza-covered counters. "You okay?" He asked her with brotherly concern. _Aww, how could you lie to the guy?_ Anna ran a finger up under his jawline, a spot that over time she noticed was the one place he could never get fully shaven. Rubbing a long line from the left side _(That's his right, isn't it?)_ to the edge of his chin, she gave him a smile. "He did kinda tell me to piss off, but I could tell he didn't wanna be here," she said, her genuineness not wavering in the slightest. "Apparently Ariel's parents forced the football team to spread word and attend the party." Kristoff gave her a befuddled look, not much of a shift from what it was already. He said, "I thought I told you, but I knew you'd rather not hear about him. Maybe it slipped my mind," he remarked as his hand scratched at the back of his head. "You sure you're okay. I mean, I'm pretty sure that if you weren't I'd've noticed by now, but," he looked straight at her, "I just had to make sure." Anna felt lucky to know the guy. _I really am, honestly._ "Don't mention it, Kristoff." Her eyes softened to the fullest. "If there was a problem, he'd have a pure red nose and you'd either be driving me home or getting drunk with me to help me get over it." Noticing that his gaze softened somewhat, she jabbed him in the ribs. "There's 5 of us. How's a game of beer pong sound?" And then his eyes lit up, finally assured he was talking to the real, unconcealed Anna _(It's true and blue or nothing with me baby!)._

 

He turned around and muttered a few words that she knew probably had to do with her suggestion, which he no doubt loved. She couldn't hear him at all over the rumble of the party. People were going crazy over in the next room—a group of about 18 kids were positively rocking out to some brand new house music, a few of them grinding against each other. _I just can't remember the name of any of those artists for the life of me. I remember seeing this one guy who's symbol was what looked like Mickey Mouse's severed head (Isn't that messed up!?). I think his name was DeadMowFive, but anytime I said that around people I got the weirdest looks. Figures._

"Seriously, Rapunzel? Keystone's the best you got?" Meg whined.

 

The younger girl shrugged, offering honestly, "It's all I got." She had always been the one with the booze. _I can only imagine how funny Punzelton's response would be if ever asked "What's in the trunk?" Heh, of course she'd do the quirky thing. Who'd even bother to think? "I'ma g-g-g-get you drunk!"_

 

Past the groups of other kids messing about the party, Kristoff man-handled the large cooler which held the namesake necessity for the game they were about to play.

 

Meandering up the steps to the ideal spot for their game, they could already see the table. It was situated just before the next flight of stairs which would lead to the second floor, and it overlooked the rest of the house's wide-open space. Anna's eyes took notice of two girls blocking the way over to the table.

 

"Could you move? We're setting up," Merida said matter-of-factly, and the two figures turned to face them, wiping their knees and standing up in the same motion. Neither of them said anything, but something about them was impossible to forget. _The ends of their hair. One's red, and one's blue._ Hair dying is not uncommon, especially among angsty teenage girls, but the two were so fair—so unmistakably ghostly that she couldn't have been wrong. But at the same time, she had no idea.

 

_What the hell were their names? I only remember because they were born with their hair like that._

 

Anna downed another cup of beer as Kristoff made it into her cup the third time in a row. "Are you _trying_ to make me throw up?" She asked playfully. Kristoff sneered, replying, "Take it like a man, Anna. You could clean out your whole gallon and just barely be drunk I bet." Taking it as a challenge, she took aim at the cups on the other side of the table, giving herself some elbow room from Meg and Merida. _How are those two so good at this? I swear they could hustle as a team._ It was true, the three of them versus Kristoff and Rapunzel was a death wish, or maybe a "Get out of Sobriety Free" card.

 

Taking aim, she tossed the ball in her signature overhanded wrist arc, but in the same moment catching a pair of eyes down on the first floor. It had been no more than half a second, but it was more than enough. _Them._

 

"You got me," Rapunzel admitted, wrapping her hand around the cup and then slowly downing the beer.

 

"That was pretty smooth, Anna. You weren't even looking!" He had a boyish grin as he looked on to the other side, and it subsided to something less visible as he waited for the other two girls to take their shots.

 

Anna wasn't listening. She could hear nothing but—

 

_Who the hell are they!?_

After Meg and Merida both had somehow made their shots _(Whoop-whoop!)_ , the other side took note of the fact that they each had only one cup each.

 

"Okay, time for the A-game," Kristoff said. They were nearing the end of their fourth game, the first one the other side actually had a chance in Hell at winning. Each side had 2 cups of beer per person per round. When her teammates weren't feeling up to it, Anna would drink the beer if they didn't want to—felt no harm in it, really. _I can see why they wouldn't want to, though: Keystone fucking suuucks._

 

Just then, the ball reached its final target. "Nice try, guys, but 4 straight wins for RK!" Rapunzel said as she high-fived Kristoff. Anna grumbled slightly and downed the last cups of beer, and, subsequently, the end of her gallon. "Who gave you the idea, Rapunzel?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"To start using gallons. I think it's a pretty good idea." _Yeah, if you're stupid, impulsive and hardheaded and you're name's Anna._ "Funny thing is that it was totally random," the blonde replied. "Some girl in AP English class gave me the idea. Can't remember her name."

 

_It's not actually AP, pretty sure. It's just what they call it when you take a course with kids a year older than you._

"Wait, was I not in there with you," Anna asked. "I distinctly remember you reminding me about something." Kristoff laughed, poking Punzelton in the side. "Probly the term paper, wasn't it?" Even Meg and Merida, who had retreated to the side to calm their wooziness, snickered a bit at that one. And then it clicked.

 

_Oh. My. God._

_The.. term paper!!_

The memories came back in full. She had been so distraught that she didn't even want to do it _(Seriously, screw you Mr Bronx)._ And then on the last day before, someone heard her distraught cries. _Them!!!_ Alice and Krystal Monét, the sisters dubbed as "Fire and Ice."

 

They had offered to do the essay for her, but Anna refused. She knew they were trouble. But they had certainly gone too far when they called her a bitch for refusing something so blatantly helpful. _I doubt they had anything better to do…_ But it was too late. The moment they left, Anna snapped, and the troublesome girls were no more. Mr Bronx was appalled at the revelation, and took the liberty of divulging the information to Principal Nohmis.

 

After she had surprised him the next day with a glimmering essay that gave him some doubts _(Oh boy, anything but that right now…)_ , Mr Bronx revealed that the two girls—the most prolific, malicious, conniving and perhaps misunderstood duo the school had ever seen—were expelled.

 

The last piece of the puzzle finally slipped in.

 

_They've played beer pong with us before._

 

And all too quickly, she roused from the imaginary world with fully functioning senses to a sight she couldn't bare.

 

Screaming at the heinous sight, the last thing she recalled were the bare forms sprinting out as her own arms fell to her bare chest, the shock forcing her into slumber.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa finds out about the events of the other night, and confronts Anna; but they end up resolving their issues in a rather sisterly manner.

"Elsa, can you _please_ shut up already?" She shot a half-pleading, half-caustic glance at her older sister. The bundle of blonde tresses shook from side to side, replying, " _Absolutely not,_ Anna. How do you think it feels to know that my little sister was _drugged,_ found bare—"

 

"Okay, okay I get it!" Anna huffed, looking down to her feet, but not without noticing her sister's Buzz Lightyear slippers. _Oh yeah, she does still wear those. I think I still have one of those little alien guys I got from a claw machine._ "But _do you?_ " Elsa asked. Whether it was truly a loaded question Anna wasn't sure, but she had to concede that it had been a rather insidious outcome _(Two nights ago…)_. "Yes, Elsa, I do," she said, much softer this time in an effort to ease her sister's concerns.

 

"You, I—" Elsa hesitated, feet tapping on the wood floor as she swiveled slightly in the computer chair, "I should've been there."

 

" _What?_ Elsa, you're a whole year older than me; a sophomore in college majoring in Astronomy. Why in the heck would you wanna come to Ariel's party?" Elsa simply looked at her as if she had morphed into a gerbil. " _Why?_ There's almost too many reasons to count: she's _my_ childhood friend, too, in case you forgot; you're my adorable little sister; and even though I knew full well that you'd _end up_ okay, I couldn't help but feel something would happen along the way," she said, at length, taking a much needed breath from the long-winded response.

 

It took everything Anna had to not try and rip her ears off. "You really just called me adorable," she said as her face contorted in feigned agony, "like, you actually said that. At a time like this." She couldn't bear to keep her eyes open, shaking her head in disbelief. "How am I supposed to take that shit seriously—how am I supposed to take _you_ seriously, Elsa?" Her eyes glowed as if scarlet, practically igniting the air. "Why do you care so fucking much anyway? I'm just a third wheel, dad always said, and then he left us out in the cold for a stripper. Then mom babied us, Elsa. _Babied_ us." Elsa exhaled harshly. "What does that have to do with anything? You're my.. you're…" She didn't really know what to say.

 

"Oh well if it means anything, mom told me that she always liked you more; that was before her cancer-induced coma. Now that they've opened her head and messed with her brain maybe she'll act like a human for once." Elsa's jaw looked like it was gonna combine with the floor. She could barely get the words out. "W-would you," she stuttered out, looking utterly estranged, "listen to yourself Anna?" She couldn't believe what her sister was saying. _How can she think that she's just dead weight? What did I do to make her think that? She's not irresponsible.. okay that's kind of what we're talking about.. but…_

"What is your problem, Anna?" She asked, finally starting to resemble her sister's current temperament. "You support yourself, have your own life and friends, and do what you want. Why are you still doing this?" Elsa had never understood. Well, assuming that never referred back to the time since their dad left. Anna had always acted as if Elsa was subconsciously objectifying her—treating her like "that one problem at the end of the day." But why couldn't Anna see what was so plain? Couldn't she see it within herself?

 

"I-I—" Anna seemed to have settled down at seeing Elsa's point, "—I dunno," she said dejectedly. She shifted atop her _Pocahontas_ bedspread. "I hate when you're right." Elsa looked up, hands digging into her knees, but then softening. She asked, "How am I right? I mean to me it makes sense, but I figured—"

 

"Believe me, Elsa, I see what you mean. I've always been the more stubborn one." She met her sister's gaze for the first time in what felt like years. "To tell you the truth, I really, truly want to be pissed at you, but I just can't."

 

"Why?" Elsa asked, voice trying to contain the hurt.

 

"Now Elsa, don't," she felt her eyes prickling, "don't start with that now!"

 

"Anna, I—"

 

"Just shut up and let me cry!"

 

Elsa's very being was pulled apart at the sobs that filled the air suddenly. Her azure eyes stayed motionless as they watched the trembling mass of auburn. _Come on, say something Elsa!_

 

Rather than talking, she got up slowly and waddled over to the bed. Reaching out to Anna, her hand was suddenly swatted away. "N-no. Not yet." Anna had managed it somehow through her heavy cries.

 

Elsa couldn't bear it. Her little sister was crying her heart out and she wouldn't even allow her consolation. _This hurts worse than anything she could ever say…_

 

"W-w-what were you go-onna say?" Those teal eyes stared a hole into her heart. Her whole face was reddened and puffy, streaming tear trails almost looked as if steaming. _Anna…_ "Before I-I cut you o-off?" She was still looking at Elsa. The elder knew how hard talking must've been at that moment, so she decided to think before requesting clarification.

 

_What did she say? Good grief it was all so.. hateful. Oh wait, she did said something about mom babying us.. which was true I guess. And then I was gonna say—_

" _You're all I've got, Anna!_ "

 

— _that sounds about right._

 

She threw herself into her younger sister, not even caring that her grip was vice-like. _I'm amazed._ She wasn't crying. Even at a time like this, her eyes wouldn't open the gates. _Was I always broken?_ The shaking figure in her grasp suggested something else. _Or am I simply complete with Anna?_

 

It seemed telling enough. Anna really was her life. Without her the days would pass into oblivion, never being touched by the light of day. _I wish I could make you see. I barely remember anything from school, honest. You might think I just study my butt off and never think about you, but that's not it at all. A day without you is like dying, Anna._

She felt a peculiar peace amidst her own embrace.

 

"Do you really mean that?" Anna was barely shaking anymore, but the tears were still running. "D-do I really mean that much to you?" Anna pulled back slightly against her sister's pull to meet her gaze. She entwined the fingers of both of their hands, holding them to her chest. _Let me guess, I said all of that out loud._

 

"Yes, y _-_ you did." Anna smiled just barely. "You can't hide from me, Elsa." And Elsa knew it was true. Always had.

 

"Now don't you see why I do all this sister shit?" Elsa asked, tone hinting at something like a revelation, but her voice remained soft. Anna responded, "I have an idea, but I'd like to hear it from you."

 

Elsa wanted to be cheeky and ask her to take a guess, but her mind would probably fail her and take all the fun out of it if she so much as thought.

 

"Isn't it obvious?" Elsa had said it a thousand times. Hell, she'd said it every night before sleep for the past 8 years. Anna nodded, and Elsa then felt tenfold what she had before. Every part of her lit up.

 

"It's because I love you, Anna. Always have. Always will." Anna giggled as they nuzzled each other's foreheads. "You better be laughing at my awkwardness, since you'll never stop me from caring about you." Anna nodded in affirmation as she looked into those familiar blue eyes for the millionth time. They were barely an inch-and-a-half away.

 

As Elsa motioned to pull back, her head angled into a decline just a tad bit too steep.

 

Anna spluttered as their lips made contact.

 

" _Ew, Elsa!_ Don't love me like that!" Elsa's face scrunched as it was met with Anna's spit. She unfurled one of her hands from Anna's and wiped her face with the sleeve of her light blue sweater. "I'd have a million more of those accidents if it meant I could keep you." Elsa smiled as warmly as she knew how. Anna then blew a raspberry directly into her face.

 

" _Anna!_ "

 

"I would say sorry, but that wasn't an accident," Anna said, giggling. Elsa wiped her face more fervently this time, and after she did so, Anna stole her hand back into hers. "You still love me?" Elsa gave her the most dubious expression she had ever seen. "You _do_ care." Her older sister's expression resolved into a smirk.

 

Anna all but squirmed under what felt like pressure. "Of course I do, you dummy." She squeezed their hands tighter together. "How the hell else could I live with you?" She looked up to her with something in-between puppy dog eyes and obedient expectancy. Then she felt a squeeze on her hands.

 

"You love me, don't you?" Anna's composure melted as her face began to resemble a tomato. _Oh boy, she just had to go there._

 

"Look, Elsa—"

 

"Admit it." The look on the blonde's face was impish as she held their hands firmly in place.

 

"I don't wanna." _Oh Jesus, Anna, you've just started a fight you know you can't win._

 

An agonizing silence fell like an iron curtain, through which Anna could see the steely gaze of the challenging presence literally a foot away. Their breaths were bated, as if the showdown of the century were about to take place. When at last the silence lulled into an unseen climax; when the air permeated with an audible hum and every visual detail seemed to burn into their retinas, the call to action was met—long digits with silver-painted nails jabbed into an oblique.

 

"Agh!"

 

And a split-second later, the action was mirrored on the other side, earning a similar cry of impotent refusal. Her sister's fingers were doing a furiously up-tempo jig at her sides in an instant. Anna wanted desperately, oh so desperately, to return the favor, but knew she couldn't.

 

Trying as hard as she could, she peeked through one eye to see that familiar sight. _Certain victory._ Elsa had the goofiest smirk-turned-concentrated-stare-with-her-tongue-poking-out the world would likely ever know. Her hair jostled under the power and rapidity of her ministrations. But, then again, Anna could do nothing but writhe as she felt the tickle assault.

 

And then it escalated quickly. _Too quick!_

 

Her eyes clamped as a series of painful snorts and snickers and squees erupted from her, Elsa's hands moving the dance floor across to her belly. And then she began alternating from center to side like the repeated patterns of a pianist. All the while, she made no verbal indication of the brutal tickling. She was far too focused on wrenching out that which she wanted. And when Elsa wanted something, well…

 

"Say it!"

 

Anna knew damn-well what she wanted to hear. She was undergoing the equivalent of 1000 deaths at the hands of dextrous digits, but something within her held.

 

"Ngh!"

 

_Oh come on! I can't even sound like I'm putting up a fight!_

She knew where this was going, but would last as long as physically—no, that doesn't do it justice—perhaps humanly? _I've got it: Anna-ly possible._

So that was her plan: to last as Anna-ly possible against the devious ministrations of Elsa Ogden Stephens. While it hadn't had a name at the time, the very first tickle fight they ever had—still as one-sided as ever—had the very same plan.

 

" _Say it!_ "

 

This time she proved herself viciously serious. Anna's entire abdomen became a crash test site for the older sister's fingers poking and prodding incessantly at her sides. Where before she only stopped at the side of her sides, this time she began tickling at the back of her sides as well, covering as much wonderfully ticklish skin as she could.

 

Ever since the first strike, Anna could do nothing but sit still as the storm of attacks raged on; simply sit there and laugh and squeal under her body's forced demands, much to the chagrin of her ire. Now, the intensity had swelled to previously undiscovered heights. Her entire midsection screamed like a train whistle at close range, and her blood began to boil. It felt so overwhelming that she was almost positive she'd bruise. _It's happened before._ And on top of it all: the pain, the wheezing, the inevitable wave of soreness causing a pungent fear at the back of her mind—she was crying uncontrollably. _Holy Jeez, Elsa!_ Not willing just yet to say no to her infernal infirmament, and with past experience as her only catalyst to push forward, she offered a reply.

 

" _No!_ "

 

It was the best she had, and what she had wanted to say earlier. Despite her less-than-ideal position, she managed to feel smug at getting out the two-letter word. Amidst the cacophonous, dissonant peals of her inner bells, the gasping breaths entering and escaping her pipes and the profound ache that defined her very being at the moment, she managed to eek out her proclamation.

 

Elsa would have none of it. A challenge to her ticklish blitzkrieg was futile, moot. Across from the younger, her arms found renewed strength and hiked up to Anna's armpits. Earning an even higher-pitched wail of surprise than times before, the response she wanted still did not come. Resuming their previous dance, which if set to music would probably be the Bumblebee's Scamper, her fingers now danced all over her middle whilst occasionally making a trip up to the pit of her arms. The erratic bursts of heavy air from her sister felt like music to her ears. But the swell of the music seemed to know no end—as if the resolution would never come to pass.

 

Just then a shimmering glint weaseled its way through. _Oh._ It would be the most forward thing she could do. _The most forward thing I could possibly do._ She realized, however, that her arms were approaching cramp-status. This was the closest Anna had ever come to winning; to getting her way. A history of victory is hard to give up, and at that moment she shoved aside any and all hesitation. Flexing her arms whilst still tickling, a coy smile eroded away whatever look of concentration she had. Though she was still concentrating, oh so very much concentrating.

 

Taking her first audible inhale for the whole escapade, the breath filling her lungs gave her the springboard with which to make the final move. As time seemed to slow down, the air in the room almost seemed to take on some amount of weight as she could feel herself make the final decision. _Do it._

 

Anna's shirt had long-since hiked up from the vigorous tickling. Elsa, noticing her hands currently poised on either side of Anna's exposed bellybutton, jolted her fingers in a flash, the movement like a bolt of lightning. The reaction when her hands met the base of two supple mounds of flesh was much the same.

 

" _ELSA!!_ "

 

The redhead fell down to the bed with such suddenness that no one could've stopped her. She was convulsing wildly and giggling without abandon. Elsa looked on dumb-faced at the sight, finally realizing how far she had gone. She had nearly tickled the daylights out of her.

 

The sight when Anna turned back over to face her was far, far, _far_ too much.

 

"O-oh my Gosh, Anna—" she said with a few giggles, her left arm pointing with her right wrapping around her stomach, "—I tickled the piss out of you!" And then she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

 

Anna was too busy to notice. In fact, she probably couldn't even hear what Elsa had said over her own thunderous symphony. As her everything heaved and heaved, her brain was no doubt being wracked by any number of things.

 

The lime green of her shorts, which had been complementary to her bright orange tank top, had been taken down several shades—nearly hunter green, in fact.

 

_Did that really just fucking happen?_

When she thought about it, the likelihood of the roof disappearing and rain falling to her crotch was nonexistent. _Fuckin' A._

She was only vaguely aware of her combinative sense of exhaustion, since the unexpected sensation of wetness sent her mind for a trip. No, this was not like going to the rave party down the street, or meeting Meg's family, or skydiving down to their grandparents' anniversary party; this was an older sister getting the better of her little sister in full.

 

Coming to terms with her undeniable loss, her heaving guffaws lessened to ringing giggles. _I should've known._

She was now at a comparable volume to Elsa, who she noticed was still laughing. Mentally, she took note of how euphonious their combined sounds were. It did little to lessen her shame. _Go ahead—laugh!_

 

Anna really did think it humorous, the thought of a 19-year-old losing bladder control would send herself into a mighty laughter normally. Being on the receiving end was another story.

 

"I love you, Elsa."

 

It was easy enough to admit defeat at that point. She had, in every way, lost miserably.

 

"But I think you should get off the bed." She took a moment to notice the spreading dampness. "Like right now."

 

Elsa, who was still laughing somewhat, had both blue eyes open to the world. She nodded in agreement.

 

She stepped out of the room to get clean sheets. They both laughed once again at the mess as they carefully put everything that had been on the bed into the laundry, including her bedspread _(So long Pocahontas. For now.)._

"You got anything planned for the night?" Elsa asked as they settled down onto the living room couch. They sat close.

 

"Uh, no." _She doesn't have anything else she wants out of me, does she?_ She looked herself over without really moving her eyes. She had changed into some dark blue pajamas.

 

"Was earlier not enough?" Anna asked, wanting to make sure her thoughts weren't true. Elsa laughed. "I won't put you through that again." The elder playfully flicked Anna's forehead, earning a short-lived grimace that said "Stinker!"

 

"I will, however, ask that you watch this movie with me." She held up a blu-ray that was still wrapped. _Can we even play those?_

 

"What is it?" Elsa let the case slip from her hand. _Romantic comedy._ Looking up from the back of the box to see the blonde chewing gum absentmindedly as she looked at the bird clock on the wall, the sight made her previous thought seem on-point. _Figures._

Elsa reclaimed the box, ripped off the transparent plastic, and then fumbled with the plastic tabs keeping the case closed. "Open, you little—" and then it opened. Taking the disc out with a lone finger, she turned to Anna who was eyeing her expectantly. Rising slowly from the couch, she stepped over to the multimedia center positioned beneath their large TV. Blowing some of the dust off of the main compartment, she opened the door to their first-edition "fat" PS3. Popping the disc in, Elsa grabbed the blue controller right next to the console. The disc started right away, courtesy of auto-play, so she opted to skip all menus and previews to get to the film.

 

With a runtime of only 73 minutes, it could've been, at best, hilarious, or, at worst, cringe-worthy. It ended up being craptastic, but Elsa somehow finding humor in it made Anna share the feeling somewhat.

 

"That was bad. Not even gonna lie," Anna said, yawning. "But it was survivable with you laughing the whole time." Her arms stretched over her head. Her sister's hands rested at her shoulders. She scooted closer.

 

"I'm just glad you sat still," Elsa replied cooly as she began to rub deep circles into her shoulders.

 

"Ah…" Anna relished in the contact. "T-thanks," she said breathily, the crick in her neck melting away under Elsa's touch.

 

"I noticed how you barely took your eyes off the screen." Elsa's hands stopped moving. The younger looked over to her. "Yeah?" She cocked an eyebrow. "Would you like a massage as well? I mean, there's no way it'd be as awesome as yours, because you took some classes on how to do it, but—"

 

"No buts." The elder brought her hands back behind her head, pushing her long hair out of the way, craning out her slender neck in the process. Anna, who had been so entranced by her sister's grace, barely noticed the gesture. _Well go on, you gawker! Don't leave her hanging._

She slinked over to Elsa as she had done before. As she was about to place her hands on her neck, she hesitated. At that moment Elsa brought her hands down, rubbing soothing patterns onto them. As if sensing Anna's query, she hummed an "Uh-huh," at which Anna took the opportunity to try and recreate for Elsa that wonderful experience she had received.

 

_She didn't give my neck red spots, did she?_ Anna couldn't help but regard her job deprecatorily. She worked her fingers deep and with feeling, but she didn't take the time to linger and work out the tension spots. With no training, all she knew to look for was tightness in the muscles.

 

"Why'd you stop?" Elsa asked from under her pile of hair, though she did not stir. Anna gave no reply, only resumed her finger pressings. Elsa's hands came up to hers once more. The question was unspoken, but understood. "I was just wondering if you were okay with your neck looking like it had 50 hickies on it." She didn't stop to say it, just kept on. Elsa laugh-sighed at her statement. "You haven't had massage training like _moi—_ " she enunciated the last part with a flawless French accent, "—and I bruise like a peach, anyway." Anna giggled. "What?" Elsa asked. "Can you take a guess?" Anna asked. "Hm…" Elsa thought as Anna continued her neck and shoulder rub. "Is it that you're the color of a peach." Anna replied, grinning, "Exactly."

 

Elsa laughed without opening her mouth, resulting in a funny muffled sort of sound. The response also served as a way of adding the additional "Thought so" that would usually follow, but she was apparently too relaxed to do so.

 

"I could care less what it makes me look like, Anna, because you did it." Elsa looked into the mirror up over the fireplace, and shrugged as she saw the marks. Anna simply sighed and shook her head timorously from where she sat on the couch. "I shouldn't have to tell you, of all people—the person who picked that freaking movie—how cheesy that is."

 

Elsa huffed, although when she turned there was a grin on her face. "And?" She asked, cocking a brow, "What of it?"

 

She had been put in the same situation as a few hours ago: where her answer would either be really snide and end up getting her tickled senseless, or it'd be too low on the spectrum and elicit a barrage of questions.

 

It had felt like a long day, when in fact she had woken up a crack past noon upon returning from hospital discharge in the care of her older sister.

 

_"Flunitrazepam." Elsa said during the car ride back._

_Anna looked over to her. "Flua-what?"_

_"That's what they used on you."_

_"Oh."_

After breakfast in bed, they talked for about an hour about random stuff, then Elsa wanted to know what happened, and before long they were arguing and trying not to scream each other's ears off. How they had settled down was a mystery to Anna.

 

"Nothing."

 

But, somewhere, deep down, she understood that Elsa knew. She always did. Had always been there for her. _Loved me_.

 

After a quiet dinner of popcorn and grilled cheese, Anna's sigh was particularly heavy. _Time for bed._

Their very sparse dinner conversation had not been substanceless, but at least none of it made Anna's head spin. The doctor said that vertigo might be persistent for a few days. Anna wasn't given any of this information; wasn't around or awake to hear it. _Elsa, of course._

 

One thing that wasn't entirely to her fancy was the mention of court, pressing charges, blah-blah-blah. Anna didn't really give a rat's ass that her clothing had been taken for evidence's sake, along with some involuntary samples. But the feeling that, somehow—

 

"What if they get to me, Elsa? What if it happens again?"

 

— _they'd_ find her did not sit well at all.

 

Elsa and Anna now stood outside of each other's adjoining bedrooms, washed in the light of the hallway's orange overhead glow.

 

Anna was not panicking, no, _would not_ panic in Elsa's presence.

 

"It won't." Elsa said softly, cupping her little sister's cheek gently. It had been so soft that even had their been a tear streaming down her face, it still would have fit.

 

Anna sighed with some semblance of finality, opening her eyes to Elsa. She nodded thrice, conjuring a sheepish smile. "As long as you're with me."

 

Anna leaned forward, feeling those long arms wrap around her with such benevolence, such strength. Elsa looked like the biggest dork in the world with her T-shirt that had what looked to be an equation for black holes on it, maroon short shorts and her ever-cute Buzz Lightyear slippers. Anna leaned into her, taking in the sweet sense of daffodils and traces of pomegranate. There was even a lingering feel of wintry briskness. _In a word: Elsa._ Her sister, her protector, her complement in every way. Almost opposites, but so much alike. One: a platinum blonde recluse with an utmost adoration for learning and reading, few enough friends to count on one hand, and extremely pale, to boot—and the other: an auburn flash with a passion for all things that make life worth living, immense popularity, a stubborn streak, and a singing voice that makes the doves coo. Both: loving.

 

"I love you." Elsa said, no doubt going through a similar thought process as Anna as she took in a deep breath whilst in the curtain of Anna's silky hair. She nuzzled her just barely. "Always."

 

Anna shuddered as the words physically made contact with her, resonated to the core of her being. "I love you."

 

They pulled away after another minute or so of enjoying each other's presence.

 

"Elsa?" _No. Why am I even asking? Shove that thought away!_

When Elsa turned to face her, she saw the younger playing with her hair. Her right index finger coiled nonchalantly around a cluster of strands, while her gaze stayed on Elsa. She bit her bottom lip.

 

"How's mom?" _Yeah that's right, change the subject, you liar._

 

Elsa's expression did not change. They both knew that they had discussed it earlier, but it only made sense to want some sort of closure right before bed, right?

 

"She'll be fine, Anna." Elsa smiled with an ethereal radiance. _Beautiful. Just like always._

 

They hugged once more.

 

"That's not what you wanted to ask, was it?"

 

Anna could feel Elsa's grasp tense the slightest bit, but it wasn't forced at all. All Anna could do was nod against her sister.

 

"If you wanna talk about it, I'm right here."

 

Anna pulled back and sighed.

 

"Not yet, Elsa." She looked over Elsa with wandering eyes. "Not yet."

 

Elsa nodded with finality, giving her another smile that said "When you're ready." Before turning to her door, she said, "Goodnight."

 

"Goodnight, Elsa."

 

She sauntered into her room over to her desk. She hadn't looked at her phone in literally days. 873 texts. 146 emails. 68 missed calls. More than enough for her to realize the power of absence. At the top of the list of notifications, however, was that oh-so-friendly reminder that she, frankly, wished would go fuck itself.

 

"I have fucking _work_ tomorrow?" She groaned, and then threw herself onto her fresh bed. She wanted it to be warm, but it just felt crisp. Sliding under the sheets, the droning hum of her ceiling fan lulled her to sleep.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna has her first day back at work since the incident, and can't help but shake the feeling that something isn't right.

The familiar sound of raucous clanging was heard for probably the ten-thousandth time that night.

 

"Damn, that guy in lane 8 just got a turkey." Olaf sipped slowly on his Mountain Dew.

 

"You didn't see the dude last week that bowled a perfect game?" Merissa asked. "Pretty sure it was like only the second one in this alley's history." They sat just lounging around in Striker Lanes, the bowling alley located in Arendelle University's Union Hall.

 

"Elevens, please."

 

"Say what?" Anna snapped out of her daydreaming. She had just been listening to the two next to her for the past few minutes. They had played a game of "Nose Goes" to decide who sat in the attendant's chair for the night, and Anna got the honor. _Honor, my ass._

 

"Oh, elevens." She gave the young man a passing glance as she reached under the counter for the shoes he asked for. Taking a few moments too long in her nervous search _(You know, just trying not to look like a complete idiot.)_ , the black-haired boy gave an exasperated sigh. At last she finally got them.

 

"Here ya go," she said as they plopped down on the counter. "Thanks." He said dejectedly. He put a 20 on the counter. As she was about to object, "Keep the change." He had already taken the shoes and went to the lane farthest left.

 

"Way to be a klutz," Anna muttered under her breath.

 

"What'd you say, Anna?"

 

She looked to the corner of her eye _(my way of looking over my shoulder when I'm nervous)_. "'S nothing, Olaf. I was just chastising myself for being so clumsy." She reclaimed her seat in the chair, then spun around to her previous position. The other two just sipped casually on their drinks.

 

Merissa, who had a habit of sucking on her straw until it got stuck to her upper lip, let go of her drink with an audible _thwop_. "Isn't that the guy?" She was facing Olaf. "The one from last week?"

 

Olaf put his drink down on the arm of his would-be lawn chair as he took a short think. "Macey?" He shook his head. "There's no way that kid could bowl a perfect game. I've seen Anna kick his ass at tennis more than once; I remember playing pool with him one time where he forgot whether he was stripes or solids; and, the coup de grace, I think we all remember that time when _Elsa_ beat him in a game of horse that one time after English Comp."

 

The three of them had had classes together pretty much the whole year. Anna, being a performing arts major along with Merissa, had almost the same schedule as her. The only difference was a course in economics, because she had chosen to minor in it. Olaf was, and this certainly came as a surprise, an engineering major. The guy had nearly flunked higher math back in high school, but his apathy was apparently to blame _(I swear the kid's a fucking genius.)_. And, since they were all freshmen, it made it easy for their still-developing college social lives.

 

"Okay, you're right on all of that, but just because it's true doesn't change the fact that you didn't see it."

 

"Seeing is believing." Anna chimed in, feeling like she should contribute something. _Don't space out; don't space out._

Merissa giggled, her eyes widening at an unexpected Sprite-induced burp. It didn't bother her. "See? Even Anna agrees." _Yeah, yeah, we all know I'm stubborn as all get-out._

Olaf could feel them ganging up on him. "O-okay, so I wasn't here to see it. That doesn't change the fact that his hand-eye coordination is, by anyone's measure, freaking-mega-awesome bad." Anna got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What?" He asked. Anna gave him a serious look. Looking to both sides, making sure the coast was clear, she told him: "Olaf, you can do that around us, since we won't judge—" she nodded towards Merissa, "—but promise me that once you're an engineer you'll _never, ever_ string adjectives together like that again. You're _soo_ bad at it." Merissa had to shove her hands to her face so she wouldn't double over and fall to the hard tile floor. Olaf huffed. "What, it's tr—" and then he shoved her back onto her chair, causing her to spin on it. When she turned back around, her face was contorted into a heavily lopsided grin. _How's my crazy face?_ Olaf had intended on furthering his defense of himself, but he and the pink-haired girl to his right were no longer in their chairs.

 

Anna was vaguely worried that they may have smacked hard into the floor, but seeing them wriggle in laughter on the floor like caterpillars was enough to send her into a fit of giggles herself. She forced herself back, to where she could feel the edge of the table digging into her back.

 

"Fourteens, please."

 

Anna heard the voice, and ceased laughing as she turned round to see the muscular boy. The laughing storm behind her did little to bother her. "Hercules? You bowl?" She could hardly believe the body builder had the dexterity to do anything other than throw gutter balls.

 

He said, raising a brow, "That's not a problem, is it?" He put one huge arm on his hip. _Damn that boy's buff!_

"N-no." She put both arms on the counter. "Not at all." She reached her arms under the counter for a pair of shoes. "Here you go." Hercules took a single look at the shoes, and then frowned. He grabbed both of them with one hand, and then said, "Um, Anna?" He peeled back the tongue of the shoe to show her. "You just gave me 8s."

 

Anna froze in place, her eyes going a mile wide. "Anna?"

 

_Oh God he just had to ask._

 

"Could I get them mys—"

 

"Oh go—oh holy shit Hercules I'm so sorry!" She said through tears. She saw him raise a hand. "N-no, don't worry about it." She wheezed. _Don't fall, don't fall you giggling idiot!_ Just as she leaned down to get the size 14s, just as her hand touched the loop of fabric where the heel would slip in, "H-here you go—" and then she fell. The pearlescent blue of the floor was just barely noticeable in the dimly-lit behind-the-counter area. "Shi—" and then her face met the floor. It hurt like hell, but she was still laughing.

 

Hercules grumbled. Hopping over the counter, being careful not to squish any of the snorting monkeys below him, he got the shoes and did the same number as Macey (leave the money, no questions asked).

 

Anna noticed, but didn't care. After she calmed down, she brushed herself off. The other two did so moments later. "So where was I?" Olaf asked.

 

Merissa said something about Olaf mentioning bad co-ordineration or whatever it was. Anna was looking at the monitor screen in front of her, dumbfounded. "Hey guys, I don't know about all that, but he just through his fifth strike."

 

"Uh-hm, what did I tell ya, Olaf. He's about to do it again." She crossed her arms. Olaf lifted his hands up as if he wasn't sure what to do. "It just doesn't make sense! Wouldn't he be like famous or something if he did it?"

 

Anna looked off into space, noticing how the metal slats dividing the ceiling tiles criss-crossed over one another. _These tiles don't have holes in them._

 

Her hand gripped her forehead. _Goddammit Anna, why'd you have to think about that!?_

"Anna?" Merissa was looking her dead in the face, hand on her shoulder. Olaf was also standing. The world started to look like it was spinning as she looked over them. _Not good._

 

She had to push them out of the way as she hurried to the bathroom as fast as humanly possible.

 

—————————————————————————————————————————

 

"Not good. Not good at _aughll—_ "

 

She retched for the fifth time.

 

_"Who would've thought our spike would work all night?"_

And then a sixth time. Her head felt like it was a bustling hive, bees trying to bust out every which way. Thoughts from that night, a week ago now, were flaring to the surface. Each time she heard the echo of words, they flew patterns behind her eyelids. It was painful to keep them open.

 

She huffed and puffed. Her body was down to the bile after the third round.

 

_Is it over?_

 

She wouldn't dare move her mouth again after what it got her last time.

 

_"All to ourselves."_

_No, you motherfucker I am not gonna barf again._

She clenched her head as she slunk down next to the commode. The cold floor was spotless, sterile.

 

It had been a rather agonizing 7 minutes. Somehow she knew the moment she zoned out that it was gonna suck balls. _How cool is it knowing that I'm afraid of ceilings—fucking ceilings, of all things?_

 

This made the second time during the week that she'd lost it.

 

She groaned as she stood back up. It had been a few minutes, and she finally rubbed her eyes clear. "Well don't I look like shit?"

 

Merissa caught her at the sink, just as she was about to splash some more water onto her face. "Yeah?" It sounded so casual.

 

"You look pretty bad." Merissa giggled just slightly as she slid into the restroom, the door closing softly. Anna splashed the water onto herself. When it cleared away, she saw what she figured were the reddest eyes she'd ever had. _Could've popped a blood vessel. But I didn't!_

The other girl walked to the counter. Anna felt a meek, almost unnoticeable pull at her shirt. Anna turned to her, meeting her half-smile. "It's ruined." She then grimaced. Anna looked down. "Oh yeah," she croaked. She then coughed. _I'm gonna have to brush my teeth 20 times to clear this shit up, I swear._ The hand at her shoulder was accepted, but unexpected. "Just so you know," Merissa started as her eyes went to the mirrors lining the wall, "you don't have to talk about it, but if you—"

 

"Give me a minute."

 

"Hm?"

 

"I'll finish washing up, or as much as I can, anyway, and I'll be back outside."

 

Her friend gave her a squint. Anna laughed.

 

"Promise."

 

She walked out of the lady's room looking about 80% as human as she did before. Taking a left from where she stood, the lights at the end of the short alcove were impossible to not notice. Once she got back to the attendant's spot, she didn't see either Olaf or Merissa. _The Hell?_

 

"You missed it."

 

"Yeah, you did."

 

"Huh?"

 

She turned around just in time to see the pair of them returning from the far left of the alley. "He did it." Olaf said.

 

"Yeah, a camera crew showed up before the last few strikes. Apparently he was filming the whole thing to keep it valid or some shit. And then he got an official perfect game ring. Pretty cool. I had to do the paperwork making him an honorary bowl-forever member."

 

Anna looked at her curiously. "He never has to pay to bowl again. At this alley at least, haha."

 

The redhead simply nodded a few times, then went back to her chair. Hercules was trying not to fling the ball into other lanes, she noticed.

 

"So, about what happened—"

 

"Yeah, it was about last week."

 

He coughed. "I was gonna say you could just drop it."

 

"Drop it?" Anna laughed, then she turned to see them both back in their chairs. "Why the hell would I do that? Isn't the reason you have friends to tell people this kind of stuff?" She eyed them over as she reloaded. "I mean, damn, could you imagine what'd happen if I just kept it all bottled up. Holy crap, I'd have like advanced depression; no, suicidal, even. It was bad, oh I'm not even gonna lie it was _baaad._ " A few snorts escaped her. Her face contorted slightly, but she kept her eyes open to them. She looked straight to Olaf, _because he was the one who wanted to know, right?_ "I was drugged."

 

The two of them gasped. Olaf dropped his Vault and didn't even bother to pick it up. The music going on the background seemed to phase out of reality.

 

"O-oh my God, Anna. I'm so sorry I bothered you with all those texts and calls. I-I just wanted to know." Merissa's face was beet red. Olaf couldn't even say anything.

 

"You weren't the only one, believe me. My sister was _by far_ the most concerned, but I figure that's just the way it goes."

 

"How'd it happen?" Olaf asked. He now had a stack of paper towels in his hand, most of which was already stained green-yellow.

 

"I first heard about it from Kristoff."

 

It covered just about everything. The party, which she now remembered far more clearly, the beer pong, and the strange sisters who seemingly had it in for her.

 

"That's just _vile_." Olaf was clenching the right arm of his chair so hard it may as well have broken. Merissa, too, shook her head side to side. "I'm guessing this isn't gonna fly?"

 

Anna took a sip of water. Putting the cap back on, she asked, "Meaning?"

 

"Like, as in, pressing charges?"

 

Anna put the bottle down in-between her thighs. "Yeah. Elsa gave me an earful about it. Apparently she knows a thing or two about legal stuff." She shrugged. "They're already getting stuff together for a case, from what I hear."

 

Merissa tossed a magnet up into the air. She had a habit of doing so when she was bored, although its pair mate was never to be seen. "I hope y'all fry their asses."

 

Anna just gave a distant "Hm-hm." She smiled with her mouth, but her eyes were trained on the floor. Part of her wished it would swallow her up, but the other was happy she was still standing on it.

 

* _Bark, Bark, Bark_ *

 

It was so sudden she dropped her water bottle. Feeling a familiar vibration in her pants, and that annoying-ass barking ringtone, "Who the hell's calling me?" The number didn't look familiar. She just hit accept and jammed the phone up to her ear.

 

"Y'ello," she said. It had been her go-to cellphone greeting ever since she had her own phone.

 

There was slight rustling on the other line, then, "Anna?"

 

_Oh dear God._

"What do _you_ want?"

 

The one thing that she didn't bother to tell them about, probably because she chose to forget.

 

On the other line, he cleared his throat. "S-sorry."

 

Her friends were looking at her curiously. Olaf mouthed "Is it bad?" Anna took the phone off of her ear and shot it the bird, if that was indicator as to her mood. The breath left her in a forced puff. Had it been cold, it would've looked like an ice blast.

 

"About what, Hans?" _Why are you even talking to him?_

"It just seemed pretty fucked up what happened to you."

 

"Yeah, I know."

 

"Did they really.. you know?"

 

"Yeah, sure, whatever you've heard is probably true. Rumors get around real fucking fast and I'm sure you'd love to get back at me for junior year. Wouldn't be surprised at all, actually."

 

Hans scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, and a thank-you, too."

 

Anna walked outside at a blistering pace. "Who the hell asked you to give a shit all of a sudden?"

 

A short silence.

 

"Didn't I ask you the same thing at the party?"

 

_Wait, what?_

 

"Uh…"

"I was just sitting there being pissed, and you came and talked to me. I didn't even wanna be there."

 

"So what's your point? You just looked like you needed someone."

 

"And _you,_ " he said almost laughing, "who got _drugged,_ doesn't?"

 

Her eyes were starting to glow. "I already have everyone I need."

 

Hans breathed heavily into the receiver, the noise especially irritating to Anna. "I just figured I was returning the favor. You were just being friendly and I told you off… I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I hope things work out."

 

Standing out in the moonlit parking lot, she froze. _Was I really just that big of a bitch? He only wanted to apologize, right?_

She was horribly conflicted at the moment. He had played around with her like any no-shits-to-give jock would have; had made her junior year the part of her life she vowed to forget.

 

Sure, he had been nice to her _sometimes,_ but he was just some conniving prick. _Wasn't he? Why the hell's he being so nice?_

She sighed. _He's right._

 

"T-thanks," she said timidly.

 

"Don't mention it." He sounded almost chipper to her ear, but it was only the words that seemed that way. He really meant it.

 

"You take it easy, now. Bye Anna."

 

"Bye."

 

Her iPhone ended the call with its characteristic three-beep tone.

 

The trees outlying the lot rustled slightly in the spring wind.

 

—————————————————————————————————————————

"He did _what_?"

 

Meg and Anna were sitting in the rec hall with some pizza between them.

 

"Apologized, yeah I know right? Definitely wasn't expecting that."

 

"You could say that again." The Greek brunette reached for her coke. "You told Elsa, I'm sure?"

 

_Geez, can everyone read my mind?_

"Yep. Figured it'd be good to, even though she'd've found out anyway. She's figured out when crazy things were happening to me in the past without me ever saying anything." She laughed. "Call it her Anna sense."

 

Meg covered her laugh with her hand. Rapunzel came over from her game of foosball with Kristoff.

 

"We miss anything?"

 

He, the blond sophomore, had paid for the 2 large meat lovers on the table. He could've sucked them up easily had he cared enough, but got them with the intention of sharing. As he grabbed a piece, Meg said, "Just a little bit of info on sug, here." Anna gave her a frog-faced pout, causing her to amend. Giggling, "No, you didn't really miss anything."

 

"Heard that Hans apologized," said Rapunzel grabbing a piece herself. "That true?"

 

It was as if she had the ears of a fox. _Their game table was like 50 feet away, wasn't it?_ She brushed the thought aside.

 

"Yeah," Anna said. "I really didn't expect it honestly."

 

"How'd it happen?" Kristoff asked.

 

Anna wanted to facepalm at his never-ending questions, but she figured that there really wasn't any harm in telling.

 

"Me, Olaf and Merissa—" she noticed Kristoff's raised brow, "—a girl I work with—were just sitting at the alley and after we all laughed our asses off from some crap that happened—"

 

"Like what?" Rapunzel piped up suddenly.

 

"Okay, so this girl's boyfriend," she said, poking Meg in the shoulder, "showed up to bowl." She laughed once. "So, he asks for fourteens, right?" They all nod their heads. She laughed twice. _Punchline._ "I gave him 8s."

 

They all laughed.

 

Meg said, "I remember him telling me he was gonna go out to bowl, but when he got back he didn't mention any of that." She was still laughing out loud.

 

"Oh, it happened all right." Anna calmed herself. "We laughed for literally minutes, and then I came back from the restroom to find that some guy on campus here bowled a perfect game."

 

_Props on not being super awkward for once, Anna._

"Who was it?" Kristoff asked.

 

"I think his name was Macey."

 

" _That_ kid? He can't even make one shot in basketball."

 

Anna laughed. "Olaf also had a lot to say about it. But it did happen."

 

"So then what?" Meg asked, putting her drink down.

 

The redhead took the reins and led on. "So we just talked for a few minutes, and then he just called out of nowhere. First thing he said was sorry, which I honestly didn't get at the time. He had been a total dick to me at the party, as I'm sure you all remember." They didn't say anything, so she continued. "Pretty much I just asked him why the hell he was being nice and then he brought up that he didn't wanna be at the party in the first place—he was basically saying that he was just trying to return the favor of me talking to him when I didn't have to. He thought it was the friendly thing to do."

 

Kristoff wore a glare. "I just hope he doesn't think he's gonna have a go with you again." Anna scoffed. "Oh, it was nothing like that, Kristoff. Believe me. I have no intention of that ever again."

 

She looked down at the pizza. "He was nice, though."

 

Rapunzel asked, "You told Elsa?"

 

Anna gave her a look that was akin to a professor holding and weighing test tubes. "Well, let me see, after hearing that question for the jazillionth time, could the answer be anything but _yes,_ Rapunzel?" She tried not to laugh at her own silliness. "Of course I told her. I obviously told Olaf and Merissa too. And now you guys."

 

Kristoff put his hands behind his head. "What's she like?"

 

Anna did a double-take. "Merissa?"

 

"Yeah."

 

_That's so Kristoff._ He just wanted to make sure she wasn't hanging around the wrong crowd.

 

"Well, she gets along with Olaf if that says anything—okay, so he gets along with anyone." She looked around the table. "These two seem to be fine with her." Meg and Rapunzel nodded. They had met her some months back at the alley.

 

"I thought she was nice." Meg said. "Me too," Rapunzel concurred.

 

Kristoff just shrugged. "Continue." His eyes were trained on Anna.

 

"Well, uh, she's got pink hair. She sings soprano with me in studio class, and she's like a world champion on a pogo stick."

 

Kristoff smirked.

 

"Oh, shut it," she said quickly. "She isn't too great at bowling, though. But then again, neither am I."

 

Kristoff let out a breath, uncrossing his hands from behind his head. "Okay, she checks out." He grabbed another slice of pizza. Then, he asked, "How're y'all coming along on Professor Hugh's take-home test?"


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna goes to Meg to deal with a problem, and then gets sidetracked by a memory.

"Why're you showing me this?" Anna was confused. Really, really confused.

 

"To make you feel a little dumb." Elsa stuck out her tongue.

 

Anna just shook her head. She had no idea why _she_ was the one holding the pencil. The top of the paper said something about calculating the parallax between these two stars that were some ungodly distance from each other. And there was some other information; looked to be helpful stuff added on by the professor. _No big deal. Pfft._

"You know I can't do it, you stinker," she said, shoving the paper back over towards her sister.

 

The elder pulled back a drawer on the face of her enormous mahogany desk, rummaging through the contents. Even if they were meticulously well-kept, there were too many for a search for a particular item to not be a little messy. _If only I could keep my clothes that organized._

 

Elsa pulled out her protractor, then put everything back where it was, knowing she'd have to do it all again when she was done. "Okay," she did a swatting motion at Anna, "I'm through torturing you. Let me finish up this work."

 

Anna rose from the chair and left her to that. She sighed as she shut the door to a mere crack, shaking her head. _Having a brainiac for a sister isn't as easy as everyone thinks._

She could swear that no one really got it. It wasn't that Elsa was like a big deal, or anything; it was just that the very idea of her was almost unthinkable—a gorgeous blonde who: 1) always wore her hair in a casually-done braid, messy bangs accentuating her hairline; 2) managed to look incredibly sexy in dorky T-shirts and shorts; 3) was smart as hell; and 4) couldn't stop thinking about her little sister. With her smarts, she often wondered what was keeping her around. Almost all of it went totally over her head.

 

_Come to think about it, it's been a real long time since I've asked her why she likes any of that stuff. Maybe I will later._

Then that thought from moments ago came back to her _(No one really gets it.)._ She realized she was wrong. There was one person who got it; her best friend, Meg.

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————

 

The house smelled of rosemary and lemon; the former because she had just cooked some lamb, and the latter because it was the brunette's favorite air freshener.

 

Hercules had said nothing when Anna knocked on the door. After opening it he simply went down into the basement to do some pre-dinner workout that would probably blow her mind.

 

After walking a couple of feet into the house, she stood and looked around the place. Just above her head as she shut the front door was a pretty nice-looking chandelier, and under her feet was a frilly rug that could probably hold enough dirt for 10 thousand visits from the outside. As she took her shoes off and placed them in the rack, a familiar furry face greeted her hand. "Hey there, Esmeralda," she said smiling. The cat crooned a meow, causing her to vocalize something similar in response. Just as she was rubbing the cat's belly, "Fancy seeing you here, Anna."

 

The cat meowed again, wanting her attention back. "Hey, Meg," she said, petting the cat slowly. Her gaze went unfocused, not really looking to anything in particular. Just past Meg, a small table sat with seven chairs. It had a showy arrangement atop it with a sterling silver tea set. _Had my first tea party there._ She could admit that she was a little slow on some things, but she couldn't help but wonder why Meg still had it. _This is her house, after all. I wonder why she kept this after the move?_

"How long's it been since you had lamb?" Meg asked her with one hand on her hip. She was standing just outside the reach of the kitchen, the light from behind her draping over her shoulders like a waterfall.

 

"That's an easy one—over here about a year and a half ago." Anna smiled, standing up slowly. "You're the only Greek I know." After a snicker, she added, "And Herc, of course."

 

Meg shook her head in that fashion any good friend would when met with unassuming ignorance. "Some people like stuff other than beef and chicken, too, you know."

 

Anna imagined that, had she been right next to her, Meg probably would've given her a noogie. She nonetheless took the jeer in tow, smiling dumbly as Meg turned to let her into the kitchen.

 

Part of her hadn't left the ground, however; and said part was stuck in remembrance of the old days spent at Meg's old house.

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————

 

Anna could still see the sprawling backyard. It had a trampoline, a swimming pool, and even a ferris wheel built by Meg's dad. When she came over most of the time, she lounged in the hammock and read. Or she just talked to Meg. Rapunzel was there, too, sometimes. Some days she'd play touch football with Kristoff and Olaf, sometimes falling into the pool—and on days when she was wearing make-up it was even funnier.

 

There was that one time Meg had invited them over _(Me and Elsa, who else?)_ for a sleepover. Anna was only 14 at the time, just starting high school. They tuckered each other out around the fire they made outside, telling each other stories. Meg even had a flashlight for dramatic effect.

After they told stories, they enjoyed some s'mores. The graham crackers may have been a little oversized _(I wasn't about to make a mess by breaking them up, either.)_ , but it was fun watching the marshmallows roast. They hadn't needed to get their hands dirty by going to get sticks because Meg had metal rods for that particular purpose.

 

Then they went back in and got into their pajamas and just talked about stuff. Elsa, for the most part, just nodded her head and giggled along with the other two. She did occasionally say something about their mom. _She had just conquered breast cancer that year._ Or, if it wasn't something about their mom, it was something on the nerdy side. The other two girls were curiously delighted, much to her surprise. It had made her feel warm inside.

There was no pillow fight that night _(I think we all know that cliché)_. But Anna was surprised that—after reading some funny stuff from one of Meg's old diaries and tucking in for bed—she found a hand tugging on hers whilst she was under the covers.

 

"Anna? Anna get up," she whispered.

 

"Elsa?" She reached under her pillow for the black, blocky device that allowed her to talk to people whenever she wanted. Feeing its presence, she grabbed it and removed it from the fabric-y hovel. 2 a.m. "Go back to bed, Elsa. It's 2 in the morning." She closed her eyes again, letting her hands go limp as she slumped back into the mattress, where her sleeping form had imprinted in it.

 

"No." She felt the hand pull much harder, hard enough to wrench her up and out of the bed whilst covers flew off and away. Thankfully it wasn't too noisy or else Meg would've been woken as well. "What's the big idea, Elsa?" She whisper-yelled. It wasn't that she was pissed, but she did want to sleep. She glanced back to where she was just sleeping, and already very much longing to return to.

 

"I couldn't sleep." The blonde curled her fingers in front of her. Anna eyed how she fiddled with them: on each hand she would rub her thumb along the tips of all her fingers, going backwards and forwards as she thought. It was one of her only nervous ticks.

 

"Elsa," she sighed, feeling her super bed-head cluttering her vision. She reached up and with a firm grip flung the hair from out of her eyes. Much as she tried to glower, the sheer lack of light made it pointless to even try. "What's bothering you?" She stood with her arms to her sides, and she could tell that Elsa wasn't even two feet away. They were directly in the middle of Meg's room. Very spacious, but still, at least one of them was trying to sleep.

 

"It's about earlier." She rustled her fingers in the hem of her shirt.

 

"What about earlier?"

 

"I was the only one who didn't tell any stories."

 

Her eyes stopped looking anywhere. She could've looked to the diorama lining the edge of Meg's large window/hide-away, or the fan that was rotating almost silently overhead, or to her thrown covers and just go back to sleep. Instead, she looked only at her older sister incredulously.

 

"You mean to tell me you've stayed up for—what—4 hours now, because you didn't tell any stories out by the fire?" It was getting hard to whisper. But it all seemed so baffling, ridiculous. Why had that been enough of a reason to be a freaking insomniac? Why did she have to wake her up to tell her?

As Anna looked across to her she noticed how, like usual, Elsa's hair was remarkably undisturbed. She had imagined that she probably tossed and turned under the sheets feeling guilty, but by gosh her hair would stay perfect, regardless.

Elsa shook her head, bangs swinging as her braid slunk over her shoulder and resting across her front.

 

"You don't understand, Anna."

 

The redhead groaned, and feared that for a moment that it might wake the brunette. Out of the three of them, none ever snored, but Meg slept so silently you'd think she was in cryo-sleep. "Elsa, what is there to understand? Were you offended that we didn't ask you to tell some or something?"

 

In that moment, truth be told, Anna only knew how much she wanted to get back to bed and continue dreaming about being a famous painter named Florelli. Her haste made itself unknown to her, however, as did her currently crinkled brow and hair that looked almost akin to a hedgehog. Her skin even prickled slightly as the fan's breeze ghosted over her form.

 

"Anna." Elsa took a deep breath, which was saying something because you could actually notice a rise in her abdomen, despite her very slim frame. She wiped back her bangs with both of her hands, one hand doing a slow motion sweeping all the strands, and the second one doing a more cursory movement to restore the volume. Was this a nervous habit as well?

"It's just that," she said, her voice sounding as puny as a little baby hummingbird being whisked away by the wind, "I've never told you any before."

 

The room seemed to give way slightly under the newfound gravity of the situation. Cogs were whirring inside Anna's head, trying to make sense of what Elsa made seem like a very weighty admission.

The truth was that Elsa had read stories to her before, like read her bedtime stories and stuff like that. They had grown up together learning how to read, though Elsa never stuttered as much.

But it hit her right where it counted—right smack in the head.

"I-I—" now she was twiddling her own thumbs, one hand coming up apprehensively to smooth her hilarious hive, "I don't even—"

 

"It's alright," Elsa said. Anna still just looked at her dumbfounded. Her hand was shaking just barely in the tangles of her hair, her other being held uselessly out in front. If she were in motion it would've looked like she was doing a jog while trying, hopelessly, to fix her hair.

Elsa slowly reached out, hearing a slight crinkle in the fabric of her pajama shirt as her arm outstretched. She could feel every nerve lighting up and firing to its pair mate as they worked synchronously, giving her the wonderful sense of feel. Except, she wasn't feeling anything at her fingers. Yet.

 

When her digits met Anna's hand, still in a cupped formation, the younger started with a gasp. Her eyes danced like a tribesman around a new year's fire, but then subsided just as quickly. Her other hand ripped out of her hair, which somehow didn't cause her to scream; but it didn't matter to her at all in that moment. Wrapping her other hand around her older sister's—two around one—she nodded, finally signaling her acknowledgment to what Elsa had said just moments ago in the dark of the room.

 

There was a smidgeon, perhaps more of a smattering when you consider its obstruction by the tree-line, of moonlight filtering in through the window. The effect was something like a prism, where you could see each individual ray and where it went. Anna could tell, as she traced the outline of that wayward beam of silvery light, that one was shining into Elsa's eyes. Those beautiful deep blue orbs looked like they could hold all the water of the world's oceans ten times over, like the deepest and most placid pools in the whole universe. Looking just a little bit closer, she could see flecks of azure and brilliant white in those gorgeous irises, only adding to the unmatched beauty and utter poetry of that gaze she had known all her life.

She could only think, _That's my sister._

 

Elsa took a small first step, and then another, sounding out the teeniest pitter-patter of bare feet of which she knew herself capable. Anna, her hands clasped around Elsa's one, had to just go with it, trying her best to mimic the silent grace of her elder. As she reached for the door handle, Elsa looked over her shoulder to see Anna gazing at Meg's sleeping form with cautious eyes. She noticed the profile of her younger sister's face—how cute her little button nose was against the well-defined apples of her cheeks; how her bangs (when patted down, at least) framed her face lazily, adding countless volumes to her charm.

 

She hadn't been looking at Meg before, but she soon joined Anna when they both noticed a ripple in the bedspread across the room. It started at the bottom, working its way up slowly and diagonally as her whole body turned to the left, laying on her side. She breathed out audibly, for once, and fiddled just slightly with the covers before resuming her repose. The sisters could've swore that, if their hearing hadn't betrayed them, that they could barely hear the opening and closing of her mouth. No words, of course, but it was certainly humorous in any case.

 

The two of them giggled, Elsa muting hers with her free hand, while Anna's was just a little more vocal. Elsa gave her a look of warning that said "Careful, now." Anna was still giggling behind her teal eyes, not that the light would have anything to say about it, but she was.

Elsa still had her hand poised in front of the handle of the door. She turned her head back around slowly, somewhat surprised that she didn't hear a joint crack after her long, sustained gaze over at the sleeping brunette who was buried within her purple stack of quilts. Turning her attention, now undivided, to the door, she felt the same sensation that she had before—nerves firing like an array of cannons as their signals flew a mile a minute. Her hand wasn't even 3 inches away from the knob before this focusing of her attention, it was just that now she had nowhere else to direct it. The distance was impossible not to notice, and now it was perfectly observable as she came within a hair's width of touching it.

 

 _Rustic;_ the only way she could describe it as her fingers made contact with the brass door handle. It was shaped out into a long and overly-elegant design, she noticed. There was a tiny amount of patina where her hand met the cold metal, adding a bit of green to the otherwise gold object in her grasp.

 

"Elsa?"

 

She looked back just enough to see that which she knew was there. It was an interesting expression. _Most interesting._

Anna, with her neck craned out just barely, had those teal eyes asking a slew of questions without even trying. The faintest whispers could be felt like one would perceive the call of the wind, the sounds of which tickled her mind's ear just the slightest. Her own eyes went round at the sight and she could feel the movement of her body just slightly. It had been such an engrossing moment that she came back in a jolt when she felt that brush of metal against her hand. _Oh._

Then—after staring at Anna for a good while—she nodded, finally understanding what Anna's inquiry had meant in the first place.

_It's just a door, silly._

She turned back around carefully, remembering in that moment that her other hand was still clasped within both of Anna's. The hand on the door had remained completely still, but now it was time to face it for what it was: an obstacle. Breathing in slowly, she sent forth the force of her arm as she began a supine motion with her arm. If she thought she could feel a scratchiness on the door handle before, then this had to've been a big step up. When the handle finally gave way she could feel the many parts of the door rotating and creaking and making so much noise it seemed like the world was gonna cave in. It was nearly panic-inducing. But then there was a squeeze at her hand. "I'm right here, Elsa."

 

And with that she pushed the handle down the rest of the way, sounding itself with a _shtick._

 

 _Loud,_ she thought, _but at least that's out of the way._ The next part terrified her for one big reason. _What if it creaks?_

 

It was at that point that she couldn't have expected, not even in the slightest, for Anna to pull her back with much the same force she had exerted to get Anna out of bed. " _Anna!?_ " As she glared back at the redhead, she only noted a smile plastered onto her face. "What's so funny?" Anna did not change expression at all; only released one of her hands from Elsa's and pointed towards the door. When she looked, the message was clear. Her whisper-yell must've silenced the creaking of the door, or that's what she thought, anyway. None of it mattered at that point. She was just thankful that Anna was gutsy enough to get it over with, even if it meant that—

 

"Elsa? Anna?"

 

—it may have been a little loud.

 

When Meg looked over her bed to see what the fuss was, she only saw the door closed and no one standing in the room. _They were in sleeping bags, right?_ She was too tired to worry about it. Part of her even doubted she was awake, actually. _Back to sleep it is._

 

Behind the door Elsa and Anna giggled as silently as they could. "That was like something out of a movie," Anna said, moving from the wall slowly. Elsa couldn't believe that they had managed to shut the door so quickly and noiselessly, but it had sure enough happened. Elsa smiled and nodded. "It pretty much was." She giggled again.

 

The walk down the stairs wasn't nearly as troublesome, since Meg's parents slept way on down the hall and it's not like they had iron footsteps or anything. Coming down to the first floor, Elsa led her younger sister out into the backyard. _So this is what she had in mind,_ Anna thought. But it was more vague than anything, truth be told.

 

After shutting the screen door to the outside, they sat down at the edge of the porch, Elsa looking up to the stars. She was glad that it was a clear night—part of the reason she had stayed up, in fact. But then she remembered the other one. "Can you see the Big Dipper, Anna?"

 

"Hm?" Anna hummed, looking at nothing other than her sister. _She looks incredible under the starlight._

 

"The Big Dipper," Elsa said, meeting Anna's gaze, "can you see it?"

 

Anna then realized that she hadn't gone deaf, just distracted. "I-I heard you the first time," she said as she looked up to the stars. She heard a small laugh from beside her at the remark. "What?"

 

A laugh like the call of heaven. "What do you mean _what_?" Anna felt a poke at her cheek, causing her upward staring to cease. Elsa was staring at her with a most unusual smirk. "I saw you staring." She laughed again as her gaze went skyward again. Anna blushed even in the near-complete darkness. Her sister's candidness was.. well, it was weird. Anna had always figured that she was the more open, more personal one; but Elsa sure as hell could tell you the what-for herself.

 

She finally laughed a small, almost chirpy little thing as they both looked back up to the stars.

 

"There it is." Anna pointed to the aforementioned constellation with her forefinger. Elsa simply hummed in approval but then stood up. "What now?" Anna couldn't help but feel she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

 

Elsa merely stood and held out her hand, directing those deep blue eyes to teal. The light summer chill was sort of delighting, even with the air dead still; silent. "Just come on," Elsa said half-annoyed, half-anticipatory. Anna just looked her over as if not knowing at all what to expect. When it looked almost like Anna was about to shake her head, " _Come on!_ " She giggled with abandon as she took Anna's hand into her own, taking her up and off of the porch and into a brisk run to the other side of the yard. Anna could barely keep up; barely think as her everything was suddenly assaulted with the need to press onward. She wanted to tell Elsa how crazy she was for doing all this crap in the wee hours of the morning but could do no such thing as she and her sister headed across the yard. The grass felt like little feathers beneath their feet, spurring them on as they giggled together. Not too loud, they made sure, though Elsa was certainly putting less thought into restraining herself.

 

When at last they got to it—about a million laughs later—Anna had nearly slumped over right then and there for breath. "All this—" she did, however, stop to take a short breather, "—for the hammock?" She could barely breathe.

 

"What of it?" Elsa asked.

 

"Nothing," another breath, "it's just that I'm usually the one out here reading." She righted herself, amazed that Elsa wasn't winded in the least. _Aren't I the more athletic one?_

 

"You should take a better look around, you know." Elsa put a hand around her shoulder, leaning in close to Anna as she gestured out to the stars with her hands. It looked like the sort of thing a visionary would do if you asked for guidance. "Beyond the stars—far past the dreams of night and day, you'll see a blonde in her hammock, reading as the stars dance around her."

 

Anna giggled, swatting Elsa's hand away. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

 

"Well, I had to tell you that I've read here before somehow." She smiled. It looked almost cheshire under the light of the night.

 

"I know, I know," Anna said. She realized that Elsa still had her hand around her shoulder; and, as she was now turned to face her, just how close they actually were. Anna had a habit of making pictures of scenes, even if she rarely remembered them. She, therefore, focused on the freckles outlying her older sister's nose. While Elsa was a math genius, she could count with her eyes quite well.

 _Seventeen. She has seventeen freckles._ As their faces were literally inches apart, she thought it odd that Elsa's number of freckles was the same as her age.

 

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt as the face in front of her bore the transformation of a curious gaze to a venomous sneer. "Staring again, I see," said the one just in front of her. And then her vision blurred as she felt a hand at her left side push her hard into the hammock.

 

"Ngh, Elsa!" And then she plopped right down next to her.

 

"Oh come on, you were asking for it and you know it."

 

Their heads were touching and their legs were hanging off the edge. Anna groaned in defeat. _She always wins, anyway._

 

"Okay, so I was." She shifted about an inch away from Elsa.

 

"Nuh-uh." Elsa closed the distance once again. Anna just closed her eyes as she felt the blonde pressed to her side once again. _Elsa, I swear it's like your half my age sometimes._

A hand came to mingle with hers. "Did you like what you saw?" Elsa giggled. Anna's mind could barely register exactly what she was asking.

 

_B-beautiful. Heavenly, even._

But before she could say anything, Elsa cut her off. "Just kidding." She gave Anna a little bit of room as she scooted over. "Just my fill of picking on you." Anna didn't even need to look over to know that there was a playful tongue being stuck out in her direction.

 

_Yeah, picking on me at 2 in the morning. That's Elsa, for ya._

"So.. what did you have in mind?" Anna breathed out slowly as she put her arms behind her head. Elsa looked over at her.

 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna conk out on ya." Elsa laughed rather haughtily at that one. "I wouldn't let you." Anna knew it was true, just like so many other things about her.

 

"Hmm…" The elder hummed as she brought a hand up to her chin. Anna had to resist rather intensely the urge to not just shift over and stare openly at Elsa. She knew that she probably looked cute as a button in that thinking pose, especially in the hammock.

But she couldn't not think herself. She and Elsa had done a lot together, really a lot, but her memory was doing a pathetic job recalling most of whatever was stored away. _Damn you, brain._

"Wanna hear how I got my first pet?"

 

"Gregory the goldfish?"

 

Elsa knew that Anna probably _thought_ she knew about her first pet, but this confirmed her suspicion. "Nope." She put her hand back down to her side. "Tina."

 

"Gregory really wasn't your first pet?" She should've known that Anna would be surprised. _Mom was well aware of why not to tell Anna, but I certainly will. No use hiding it._

"I'll tell you why mom never told you about her; my kitten, Tina." She gulped. _You can do it._

 

She began with, "I was 5; you were 2, and we both used to play with her all the time. You were always more gentle with her, though."

 

"How'd we get her," Anna asked.

 

"Mom got her from a friend at her work—said she had too many."

 

"Okay."

 

Elsa took a moment to remember where she left off. "Oh yeah—you being more gentle with the cat than I was." Anna giggled, and then she continued, "I would sometimes slide her on the floor like she was a bowling ball and I'd have some little pins set up for her to knock over."

 

"Elsa!"

 

"Oh, believe me, that's not even the worst part." That part was certainly true. Having said that, _I should really just get right to it; get this off my chest._

Anna was now looking straight at her, but she welcomed it. _I know you're there for me, Anna._ But just telling herself wouldn't cut it, not in the slightest. She grabbed one of her hands and took a breath.

 

"One day I was just outside and decided to play a game with Tina and.. and—"

 

She felt unconscious tremors wracking through her whole body. Starting from the crown of her head and spreading outward like a slow quake.

 

"—Just say it, Elsa, whatever it is." Elsa looked over to see that innocent assurance. Of course Anna would've felt her quivering spirit in that moment. She wouldn't dare look away. Not after coming this far.

 

"I threw her up and down like a rag-doll." _Huh. That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be._ The hand in her own gripped with a vengeance.

 

"Y-you what?"

 

Elsa squeezed back. She eeked out, "It actually _is_ what it sounds like."

 

"So that's why mom never mentioned her." Anna knew well enough not to utter the name again.

 

She thought that maybe, just maybe that may've been one of the reasons her mom had told her to be careful around Elsa from time to time. Anyone could tell that she was certainly no troublemaker—that wasn't even a consideration. She had been very to-herself, though. How she had kept something like this in for so long was beyond her. _I would've crumbled after a month._

She eyed a particular sort of strength in the blonde that she had never seen anywhere else. _Will; determination; faith._ She wasn't too keen on calling her powerful or anything out of the sort.

_How does she do it?_

"Tell me why you like the stars so much. I mean we all like them and see them every night, but I know you're really into them." She tried to slink her hand back over to herself, but wasn't overly surprised when it was snatched back in an instant.

 

"I'll be holding onto this," said Elsa. Anna caught her smile. "Suit yourself." Elsa laughed, then stilled herself as she stared up into the expanse above; the object of her passion, and also that of Anna's question.

 

"Well, it all started when I noticed that they were always there. Like, every night you can look up and see them up there." She took a short pause, giving Anna's hand a squeeze. "When grandpa passed away, that's when I truly began to love them." She felt Anna's gaze boring into her, taking that as a call for elaboration. "He always told me to look for Venus, which I'm sure you know isn't a star—" she stifled a giggle, at least hoping that she was right, "—and I could swear that from that day forth it glowed even brighter."

 

She felt another hand on hers—two around one—just like earlier. With her other hand, she pointed skyward. "And that's where he'll always be, should anyone ask." She breathed deep. "The brightest point in the sky, basking in the glory of the moon."

 

Sniffling. _Why sniffling?_

 

"Y-you must've really loved him." _More than you know, Anna._ "But sadly I don't remember him."

 

"That's really too bad." She meant it, too. He had been more of a father figure to her than her dad could ever've been. "Grandpa Ogden did a lot for us when we were little—took us to and from school for a while, and took it upon himself to take us to stuff when things at home got rough." She didn't need to elaborate on that.

 

"That I do remember," said Anna, "the rough edges, that is." They both most certainly did.

 

The elder allowed the silence to drown out those memories.

 

"What I mean to say," she started, figuring she may veer back on the course of answering Anna's question, "is that the stars are both limitless and forever at the same time."

 

Anna shook her head. "Limitless I can understand, but nothing lasts forever." She squeezed Elsa's hand. "Right?"

 

"It's all just a matter of perspective." She squeezed back. "They're more "forever" than we are, aren't they?" She was sure that Anna wanted to snicker at her choice of words, but was nonetheless alright with an "Uh-huh."

 

"One thing that you might not know.. actually, how about I just ask: what is everything made of?"

 

Anna clearly thought she had this one in the bag. "I learned this one in school. Atoms." Elsa was sure the younger girl was probably smiling to herself.

 

"You're both right and wrong," Elsa replied.

 

"How?"

 

"Like I said, it's all a matter of perspective." Elsa breathed out slowly, her eyes going out of focus. "I'll give you a hint; they're my passion." She gave Anna a smirk that practically screamed "Just try to tell me that doesn't make it obvious."

 

Anna snorted out a laugh. "Stars?"

 

"Yep."

 

"How so?"

 

"You ever notice how we're the only planet with life on it?"

 

"That we know of."

 

"Yes, but that's not the point." Anna silenced herself for fear of getting chewed out. _That's a good Anna,_ she thought playfully. "No planet is going to get life at all without a star to give it light; the source of all energy for us. It's like a mother for everything in its reach."

 

"Oh," Anna said in a sort of far-off manner.

 

"And in the same way, stars are like a mother in that they gave to us our everything. These hands that can create are so like the stars above that gave birth to everything."

 

"So you really mean that—"

 

"Yes, Anna. It's like they, them up there are like us; just looking down from a twinkling heaven." Anna took one of her hands to her heart, looking straight up to the night sky. Elsa said, "You might could say that my passion for the stars is just my answering their calls—to see that it's not just some big waste of space."

 

Anna sighed heavily, bringing her other hand back to where the other was still wrapped around Elsa's. "T-that's," she turned over to face her sister, "really deep."

 

"It is what it is," Elsa replied. She looked over at her, blue eyes meeting teal.

 

And then it hit Anna. The single, unifying thing that explained everything about Elsa. _Love._ She noticed it in everything she did, none more endearing than how Elsa would refer to her so properly all the time; like she was of paramount importance. The idea that she had such a profound complement in the world warmed her heart.

But then there was something of her own. _Forever._ Something Elsa had said, no doubt.

 _Love and forever._ But there was one piece missing from what should've been a perfect trinity. And the being right across from her in the hammock gave the last piece.

_Love Elsa forever._

"I love you, Elsa."

 

Her older sister turned over as she had, putting her free hand against her cheek. She looked over her completely. Eyes going from all the down where her legs hung over the edge of the hammock up to that head of hair that one might call a fireball, freckled face and the most cute petite frame you'd ever seen. She rubbed her cheek softly.

"I love you too, Anna."

 

_You'll never know how much._

Her heart cringed slightly, telling her that some things were never meant to be.

 

But as she snuggled close to Anna and closed her eyes against the stars, the night melted away all worry.


End file.
